Saturday, December 26, 2009

"Watch your steps!!" He almost shouted at her."What?" She asked fluttering her innocent eyes."Don't look up while walking, you might trip over""..but look at that chandelier, ain't it beautiful...I have never seen such a big one" She was trying to explain her distraction. He wasn't excited seeing that chandelier, but she was. She was super excited and she was telling the truth that she hadn't seen anything like this her entire life. This in fact was the biggest enclosed space she had ever been to. The biggest place she ever knew was her high school, which was an old circuit house with exactly 10 small rooms, one for each class.She had never been out of the small town until she was married off to him and he brought her to this city. This was their first outing as Mr. & Mrs. XXXX. She was simply amazed by the place he had brought her to. She had never seen ceiling so high, ceilings were always within the reach of Shambhu, tall-dark-okayish classmate on whom she had a huge crush and who eloped with her best-friend Sushma. She always wanted that kind of adventure but Sushma outpaced her. She never forgave them.

Dresses, watches, shoes were never plural to her. This was first time she was seeing them in numbers. Alright I am exaggerating on dresses but she never had more than 3. New shoes were bought or borrowed when the old ones were unwearable. The only watch she had ever seen was her father's. He would let her have it during exams, but when her younger brother started writing exams the watch was given to him on priority basis and he eventually sold it on the day of his maths exam and spent the sum on Dev D and delicious chicken curry. Though her father taught him a good lesson but her brother always said "It was worth it!!"

So whats' his story? Well he was an orphan to begin with, at-least that's what he told everyone. His mother was in village and he saw her once or twice a year but every month he sent her money order. During his last visit, mother suggested he should get married and gave her couple of grand-children to play with. This was first time his mother had asked for something.

Couple of months back he visited her town for his friend's wedding, that was the first time he saw her and when her father came to him with proposal he just couldn't refuse. He didn't took a penny from the old man, her brother was doing that job. They got married and after few weeks he brought her to the city and as I said earlier this was their first outing as Mr. and Mrs. XXXX.

"Can I take this dress? This would look so pretty on me" She had a black dress in one hand and a back-up in another."No" He simply dismissed her without even looking at the dress. He was busy checking the gadget. He had a keen eye for gadgets and was very good with them. It was an old radio which he dissected that led to thrashing of his lifetime and that led to his departure from the village. He didn't liked being disturbed while he was among gadgets, working with them. He had a great concentration level and that's why he didn't looked the dresses his young bride was showing to him.

"Look how pretty these shoes are looking in my feet...Can I please take them?""No" This time it was more like an automated reply.He was moving into zen when she came back"Look look what a pretty vase, can we take this? ..it would look so good in our home""And where the hell will you put it, on my head" He was furious "Its all my mistake, I shouldn't have brought you with me...you are...CLICK CLICK", the two click sound interrupted him.This must be some kind of record he thought. He carefully opened the door and a huge smile broke on his lips."Okay!!" He started "Grab all the watches, that dress, those shoes and your stupid vase.. I am emptying the safe..do it fast ..I think we might have woken up the neighbors…let’s move out before they call the cops”

“I am ready” She answered quickly.

This time he looked at her, she looked stunning in the black dress and red shoes, holding the vase full of high end watches. She was now officially Mrs. XXXX.

Wednesday, December 23, 2009

I opened the door and now I am standing here. Not on any side, just at the door, right in the middle of it. There are two sides, one from where I am coming and the other beyond the door. Since I have opened the door, I can see whats' on the other side. The question is what I am seeing, is that real or is it some kind of mirage? Which side I am supposed to be? The side I was on, has pushed me towards this door. I think I don't want to remain on this side, may be I don't belong here. I don't know what it is, but I have opened the door.

What will happen if I take a step further? Will the door close upon me and I won't be able to return to other side? This is why I am standing right in the middle of it, so that it can't close. But I can't stand here forever, I have to decide, one step back or one step forward?

I don't want answers from anyone. I have to do that myself. I want to make my own mistake, if I make one. At this point a step forward seems to be a mistake and I want to take that risk. I want to move ahead and I need closure. There have been some closures recently and a few in past as well. I need one more...

Sunday, September 20, 2009

"You're looking lovely tonight" Abhay remarked,gulping the spoonful of chicken soup.After a few 'shy' seconds Rehana replied with a familiar smile on her face "Well...Thank You!" . Both of them then looked at Armaan who was silently sipping the tomato soup.

This was their favorite restaurant, they had visited it many times since they moved to this city couple of months back. Today they were here for Arman's birthday dinner.

"Soup ain't good Armaan? Rehana asked."Its ok" Armaan replied halfheartedly. Though soup was delicious , Abhay's words made it hard to swallow it. Armaan knew where Abhay was heading. He wasn't going to let Abhay win so easily and that too on his birthday. He had to say something before Abhay said anything else. Abhay had already complimented Rehana so he had to quickly come up with something better.

Waiter just handed the menu card to Abhay, he was going through it to decide the main course. It was the right time, but no right words were coming to Armaan's mind. With time running out he decided to pull the trigger.

"I love you" He almost shouted.

Abhay was flipping the page, his hands stopped.Spoon filled with soup almost slipped out of Rehana's hand. Three of them looked at each other."What?" Rehana quizzed."I love you too!" This time it was Abhay. He wasn't going down without a fight."What's happening guys?" Rehana was puzzled."I love you more...more than Armaan" Abhay was getting feisty."No, I love you even more" Armaan was picking up the fight he started."There is something wrong with these soups" Rehana tried to avoid the confrontation."Please guys don't start again" She requested."Rehana tell him you love me" Abhay was going for the knockout."Look..I love you both, but .." Rehana started explaining"but you love me more...tell him" Abhay cut her short."No... she loves me more...don't you?" Armaan pleaded his case.

Rehana knew she had a judgement to make tonight and there was no escaping it."Ok, I will tell you guys after the dinner, but please no more words from you two. Let us have a peaceful dinner."

As they finished the dinner, it was time for the results."So??" Abhay started."So what?" Rehana tried 'ignorance' as last resort which she knew wasn't going to work."So ..who do you love more...me or him?" Armaan braced himself for the verdict.

Before Rehana could say anything, the waiter put the chocolate truffle pastry on the table. A red candle was stuck into it, which waiter was instructed not to lit. It was Armaan's favorite but he wasn't even looking at it.

"Alright I will tell you guys, but please don't get upset"Rehana started."I love Armaan more" She simply announced it.Her words brought a head down in defeat and brought victorious smile on a face.

Abhay wasn't a sore loser, his entire life he gracefully accepted the defeat. He spoke "Well...Congratulations Armaan!..You Win!"

He then picked up the lighter to light the candle."I have to confess something" Abhay said, adjusting the candle on the pastry."Even I love you Armaan" The candle was lit.

Abhay and Rehana got up, planted a kiss on Armaan's cheeks and said,"We both love you very much....Happy Twelfth Birthday Son!!"

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

*************************************************************************Damn! Its only Wednesday, still three more days for the weekend.

She was taking long strides towards the main road. Her watch read 8:13.

Damn! I am late, I will definitely miss the 8:15 bus today.

Morning traffic was worst on the main road. She had seen so many near fatal accidents that she always slowed down before crossing the road, even if it meant missing the "8:15". As she was putting the keys in the bag, someone pulled her kurti. She looked back, no one was there. As she zipped the bag, someone pulled the kurti again. This time she looked down as well. A little girl,with a big pink school bag on her back, was pulling her kurti to ask her something."Yes, what happened kid?""Can you please help me cross the road?" Little girl pleaded with her big brown eyes."Are you alone?" She looked around."Yes""Sure..come let's go" She took her hand and carefully crossed the road."Thank you...bye" Little girl gave her a bright smile with a small wave of hand."You are welcome...Goodbye" She smiled. Her "8:15" was couple of minutes late.

Next day they met again."Wanna go that side?" She quipped"Yup" Little girl gave her 'Missing-Tooth' smile.

On Fridays she took 9 o' clock bus, so she was sure that she won't meet the girl, though she secretly hoped to see her. To her surprise, little girl was standing and was waiting to cross the road."Waiting for me?""No, I am late today" Little girl worriedly answered.They again crossed the road and had a quick goodbye.

The weekend was as usual a relief. She spent the Saturday morning at home, watched a movie in the evening and had dinner at a new restaurant. On Sunday evenings she visited the nearby bookstore to check the latest arrival. As she was browsing through the book she was planning to buy she saw a kid's book among the new arrivals. It had a picture of a little girl on the cover.Looks like her , half-smile broke on her lips.She purchased both the books.

For once Monday morning wasn't painful. She reached the main road sharp at 8. There was no sign of the little girl. She waited for a while, and then hesitantly took the "8:15".

She must be running late

On Tuesday too the little girl did not turned up. She took the 9 o'clock bus on Wednesday, hoping to meet the little girl but she didn't. On Friday she waited from 8 to 9 but she didn't met her again.

"Wake up ...wake up...wake up" He was shouting."Honey ...its Sunday..let me sleep" She pleaded."No No...get up..Lets prepare something good ...I am starving"She did not responded."See ...its raining" He tried another trick. It worked."OK!...go..chop n slice...the "Chef" will be there in 15 minutes" She gave him a sleepy smile.

After the elaborate brunch, he went for a quick nap. She took out the books she bought last week and went to the balcony. As she started reading the novel, the cover of the other book kept distracting her. She was not able to read further, so she put down the book.

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

**********************************************************************************One two three...one two three

Shewas lying on the bed, counting the blades of ceiling fan.

Moving so fast yet coming back to the place it started from.

It was getting boring, she glanced at the wall clock. It was time to get up or else she would be late. She got up, her knees were still aching.

Old age is catching up to you

She spent five minutes in front of the mirror, adjusting her hair, her clothing and admiring the wrinkles on her face.She locked the house and walked to the main road. It was not far but with her bad knees it took her some time to reach there.

Now comes the difficult part

She looked at her wrist watch, still fifteen minutes to go. She knew she might need all fifteen of them. She had to cross the road in a fast moving, non-stop traffic.Some days it took her more than fifteen minutes to cross the road. Today it was not much different, she had already waited for ten minutes when she saw a bus coming towards her. As the bus stopped the traffic behind it slowed a bit, she sensed the opportunity and tried to cross the road. As she passed the bus she looked right and immediately retraced her steps. Bikes and Cars were coming down the flyover at the speed of light.

What is the matter with these people, why don't they slow down?

She again looked at the watch, it was almost time now. The traffic noise was irritating her. Amid all the pollution suddenly she smelt something pleasant.

Cristalle , it is better than No. 5

She looked at the person wearing the perfume. A young girl in her twenties , was standing beside her with a pleasant smile on her face."Aunty you want to cross the road?" asked the younger one."Yes dear""Come with me" the girl took her hand and started walking into the traffic with a hand raised to slow down the incoming traffic. Within seconds they were on the other side of the road."Here you go Aunty""Thanks dear" She said with a brimming smile"Its alright , you need to go somewhere?" asked the youngster."No I am here to pick up my grand-daughter, her bus would be coming now""Ok! See you then...goodbye!""Bye!"As the girl started walking away from her, something felt amiss, she shouted"Wait!!..what's your name child?"

Monday, August 17, 2009

It was raining. She loved it when it rained in the afternoon and more so on a lazy Sunday afternoon. She was sitting in the balcony of her eleventh floor apartment. She had just finished some twenty odd pages of the novel she picked up after lunch. The book was lying on the table.

Rain was getting heavier, she could sense it by the raindrops, bouncing of the railing, onto her feet. She was watching the raindrops falling and splitting in two halves. Sometime the two halves landed near each other and sometimes one landed on her feet and other on the ground eleven stories down.She was so engrossed in following the raindrops that she did not noticed when he came to the balcony. It was the aroma which made his presence known."Tea?" He was standing at the door with two cups in his hands. Ginger-Cardamom tea was his 'specialty' which he prepared exclusively on Sundays."Sure!" She said with a smile.He handed her the cup and settled down in the cane chair. She took a sip, it was perfect as usual, but she did not said anything which was unusual for him. She always had a praise or two for his 'special' tea."What happened?" He queried,taking a sip."Huh?" She was returning to his world."Something wrong with the tea?""No no..its perfect" She took another sip."Then....what's wrong?"She was lost, as if she was looking for some answers."I didn't even asked her name" She watched another raindrop hitting the ground.

Friday, July 24, 2009

They came out of the room.Her hand around his waist and forehead brushing his broad chest."Lets stay here for few minutes" She said to him.

She had chosen the perfect spot, it was behind the pillar. She knew no one was present on their floor and now no one could see them from the floor below.

She gently pushed him against the wall.There was a glitter in her eyes when she looked at him. It was not like she was seeing him after a long time, in fact they saw each other almost everyday,but days like this were very rare and very special.

Both her hands were on his waist.She again looked at him. His attire always seemed perfect to her; cotton shirts with cuffing, matching trousers and occasionally he wore ties. Today she felt something was amiss.

"Stay here...I will be back in a moment" She knew it was getting late so she hurried back into the room and moments later came out with a blissful smile on her face. She felt proud as if she had found the missing piece of the puzzle.He was still standing at the same place she left him.

"Here you go" She showed him the treasure she found in the room. It was a gray and black muffler. "Its really warm and looks great on you". He did not said anything. His gaze was fixed on her. She always knew what looked best on him. She perfectly wrapped it around his neck and after adjusting it on his shirt her fingers moved to his chiseled jawline. She held his face in her palms.

"You know...what I like the best in you" She was whispering."You don't judge me, you accept me as I am""And with you I can share anything, my joys, my sorrows..my problems; small problems ,big problems , all of them. I don't expect solutions...well sometimes I do, but the important thing is you listen. You always listen, so calmly so patiently, I always want to bare my heart and soul to you"

She was lost in her own words."I know I can't marry you, but that does not change a thing, it does not change the way I feel about you. With every passing day its getting stronger" Her lips were coming closer to his face and her eyes were getting filled.

Thursday, July 09, 2009

"I should call him" she said to herself.She picked up the cordless and started punching his number. As she put in the last digit, she couldn't stop the smile coming to her face. It was a proud smile. Phone at other end was ringing.

He was dreaming and suddenly somewhere a song started

Dil me mere hai dard-e-disco...dard-e-disco..dard-e-disco

Still dreaming. He looked around"Where is the sound coming from? Are they shooting the song somewhere?""I must rush...must meet SRK""Deepika is here...where is SRK?...they are shooting it with Deepika now""WOW!!...she looks gorgeous!!"And then the song ended.

"Must be sleeping" she thought.She got up , brushed her teeth and came back to check the alarm clock."Its only 6:35, let him sleep. I should get ready for office""Office!!...he should not get late for office...its almost 7 " she picked up the phone and hit redial.

He was dreaming. He was on a date."So Deepika, other than acting what are your interests??""You know...I love playing badminton""That's great , even I am a good badminton player, we should play mixed doubles"Deepika was giggling when it started again

Dil me mere hai dard-e-disco...dard-e-disco..dard-e-disco

He was bewildered."Deepika, can you hear that?Where is the song being played?""Its your phone silly" She giggled again.

He was out of the dream. Half asleep, he fished out the phone from the sea of blankets and pillows."Hello""Hi Sleepy Head...Goooood Morning""Who is it?""Take a guess" She giggled"Deepika!!!" He was coming out of sleep."Which Deepika??""Padukone!!""In your dreams ...in your dreams" She was giggling again.He was confused."Wake up dear...wake up""Tell me ..who is it?" He was now three fourth asleep."Your feeeeyaance " She said it as if she had practiced it all night, and then she giggled again."But I am not engaged yet" He was trying hard to utter some words that made sense."I know, officially we will be engaged in two weeks..I was just getting familiar with the word""Now get up ..its already 7 AM...you will get late for the office""Aaaahhh!!" his head was thumping."What happened sweetie..is everything alright?"Her voice and mood shifted gears. Romantic to Worried."Hangover....BAD Hangover!!" ."You DRINK!!!"Worried to Angry."I knew it, all men are drunkards...but I trusted you and you broke my trust"Angry was trying to change to Sobbing"We are not even married yet and you have already started lying to me"Totally Sobbing."But I ...""Don't you dare say a word with that alcoholic breath"Sobbing to Angry to Sobbing.She hung up.

He threw the phone and went back in search of Deepika. After wandering for a long time, he spotted Deepika. She was playing Badminton with his room-mate."What the hell!! I provided the roof over his head and he stabbed me in the back"As he furiously started walking, the song started again

Wo Haseena wo neelam pari...kar gayi kaisi jadugari

He was out of his dream."Ok, I forgive you this time...but only this once and only if you promise not to drink again""And no more lies, I want to start our relationship on truths. Only truths and nothing but truths""Listen to me.." As he started explaining to her, his cell buzzed, there was another call waiting."Hold on, another call is coming""Who is it?" She demanded an immediate answer."Nikita""Nikita.. who???""My girlfriend" As soon as he spoke the words, he regretted speaking them. The rocket was launched and there was no turning back.

He tried to start the damage control, but it was already too late"What???? You have a girlfriend"To say she was furious would be an understatement."First you drink and now you have a girlfriend...and you want to marry me....What do you think? Am I a fool or something?"

Swift gear change: Angry to Crying.

"I should not have trusted you at the first place.." Now he could hear the tears dropping on the phone.

"Its all my mistake...I should have checked...the decision I was making"

He, unable to bear the headache and crying , shouted

"Thats right!!.... you should have also checked the number you were dialing"

Tuesday, July 07, 2009

He pushed the door. It was dark inside, a bit darker than outside; just like he was.First gasp of air filled his nostrils with the smell of burning tobacco and alcoholic breaths. His head was already light.The band was playing Bob Dylan's "Rolling Stone" .

He had always liked the place, live music ,good food and a great view of the city.It was never crowded, but had some loyal patrons and he was one of them. He knew almost all the waiters and bar-tenders by their first names and they knew him as the nice guy who always tipped handsomely.

He looked at the tables, few couples were there, some foreigners and a group of three or four people.His regular table was vacant, which had the best view of the city's skyline. He had spent some wonderful evenings at that table ,some of which ended with he and his friends singing songs with strangers, and some having the last drink with the staff.Today it was different.

"It might end different too ", he thought.

All those evenings he used to look at the bar and wonder how some people spent the entire evening by themselves, sitting there, talking only to the bar-tender. Lokesh was attending the bar today. He saw an old man sitting at the corner of the bar.

He again looked at his favorite table and then walked to the bar."Why ruin the happy memories...table doesn't have to know I came alone tonight"

"Hi Lokesh"

"Hello Sir..how are you?"

"been better" He smiled wryly

"The usual please....make it double!"

"Sure Sir"

He took out the ring and put it on the bar. There was slight discoloration on his finger. He was looking at it, when Lokesh silently put the glass of whiskey beside the ring.

"What's her name?"

It was the old man.

"Nisha"

"Lovely name!!"

"Lovely wife! " He gave a half-hearted smile.

"Fight??"

"Big One" He said. "Yet again" He thought.

There was silence for couple of minutes, he sipped his whiskey.

"You know we were not like this, but things changed... we changed" he tried getting things off his chest.

"I don't know what happened, it feels like the connection is not there any more..somewhere we lost the love....we had.. "

" we had some beautiful evenings at this very place..at table..."

"Table 11??"

"Yes..it has.."

"the best view.." Old man was finishing the sentences.

Lights were dimmed for the next performance.The band started playing Eva Cassidy's "Time After Time"

"That's her favorite song.."

"Lokesh...repeat the drink"

He sat silently..listening to the song.

As the song ended, old man turned to him

"What now?"

"I do not know...I will stay here for a while"

"And she?"

The question annoyed him,but it was the answer that bothered him the most. He knew she would wait for him and then would go to sleep. He remained quiet, took a big sip and quipped

"What about you old man?"

He looked at his wrinkled hand, there was no ring.

"I am here for her" Old man raised his ring-less hand

He remained silent.

It was old man's turn.

"You know... its not about the ring...its about the mark which grows under it....different from everything else around it..protected from everything.."

"It takes time...but its all about the mark.."

"Its her mark on me.." Old man again raised his hand..this time he noticed the deep discoloration around the finger.

The band was preparing for the last song of the evening, as the lead singer announced

"We will try "Nothing else Matters" by Metallica" , his cell phone buzzed, it was a SMS

Sorry about everything..please come back...Luv Nisha

"Lokesh ..check please" He was still staring at the message.

He picked up the ring, wore it and looked around, old man was not there.

"Wise old man" he said to himself.

He looked the bill, it had "Table 11" written on it.

"Hey Lokesh, I didn't took Table 11 today" he smiled on bar-tender's mistake.

"...and please put old man's bill on me"

Lokesh was puzzled,

"Sir earlier you were sitting at table 11"

"I was??"

"Yes sir...you went out for smoke then you came to the bar"

"....and you came alone tonight...which old man are you talking about? "

Friday, July 03, 2009

In a man's life, comes a time when he looks back and ponders "What if....?"What if this...What if that.In an average man's life there is handful of "What ifs". So when "What ifs" start overflowing, 'the man' inside the man wakes up and decides to take control of the situation. One fine day he decides to address the very first "What if" he can remember...

It was raining that day. I first saw you when you boarded the school bus. Rain drops dripping on your cheeks and your eyes, a little naughty and little frightened, looking for a vacant seat. I glanced at you from the corner of my eye and tried very hard to pretend that I did not saw you and was not interested in the new girl in the class.

Do you remember that day?I loved you that day.

Our school farewell. Class 12th.First time I saw you in Saari. You looked beautiful, I think you knew that.

The blue earrings. They were incredible, bouncing at every step and sparkling at every smile.

Do you remember those earrings?That was the last time I saw them.

Do you remember that day?Last time I saw you.

I loved you that day.

In college, I guess it was my 3rd year, one late night I was hanging out with my friends.It was a full moon night. That evening, Moon changed its color thrice. When it came up it was this lazy orange as if waking up after a long sleep, then it changed to canary yellow, brightening the night and finally to white, pure and serene. It was a beautiful evening.First time I was lonely amongst my friends. I wished you were there that night, I missed you that night.

I remember that night.

I loved you that night.

These days, I think about you, about the time we spent together and about all the small things which reminds me of you.

Rains...Clouds..Eyes.. Earrings...Moon...

I write about them. I throw some words around them, jumble them and try to derive some meaning out,but without you they are only words, all meaningless.

How have you been?It was really nostalgic reading your mail, of course I remember all those days. Its just that I remember them a bit differently..

The first day in school, I remember it was you who told me the wrong bus timings, that's why I got drenched in that fu*+#in rain and if I remember correctly you were ogling me in the bus as there was no 'corner' in your eyes, you Fat Ba&#@$^!!

I wanted to beat you the ground.Just remember that day.

School farewell was the same, you and your geek brigade were all drooling over me , like little boys in candy store, so I safely assumed that I must be looking good.

Those blue earrings were my grandma’s, which you know very well so don't try to act smart. Stop this 'emotional attyachaar’, You Moron!

I wanted to kick your ...Just remember that day!!

Your college night..even I remember that ,you a@$&% !!That was the day you found me on Orkut and sent that cheesy Add Me request. My life has been hell from that day. Just stop visiting my profile everyday.. You Sicko!

I was a fool then.I really regret that day..

You even found me on blogger, You Dog. One thing I admit, those poems are coming good but I am not that stupid that I didn't realize that you were referring me in them. You are not that smart, you Dump Fat Ra**$#. So just stop it and don't bother commenting on my blog...You Psycho!

Well...if you are still reading, it felt really good, shoving all of that in your face..You Pig!

I never hated you..but was always whisker away from it. Congratulations you finally managed that!

Monday, June 08, 2009

Half asleep, he somehow picked himself up and blindly walked towards the switch board,narrowly missing the chair in his way. He switched off the fan and went back to bed. The early morning coldness always made him uneasy and since it was summers, he had not taken out the warm blanket.As he hit the bed his hands automatically went in search of the cellphone. As always it was under the second pillow. He took it out and checked the time

7:34 AM .

He can sleep for one more hour before he has to rush for the office. Office was 10 minutes away by an Auto-rickshaw. Though the place was a bit costly, its proximity to his office made him stay put for last two years.

He opened his eyes. He was feeling cold.

"but I switched off the fan" he thought. He looked at the fan, it was still on.

"must have switched it off in a dream", he was not amused, it happened earlier as well. Sometimes he dreamed of locking the door and later found it open. He again took out the cell phone.

1 New Message. "VM- Future"

"Want to know your......."

Delete Message ? Yes Or No?

"Damn Yeah!!..who the hell send these messages so early in the morning"

9:00 AM

He sprang up, sat on the edge of the bed.

"So much of screen time ..some day i will go blind" . His eyes were aching.

Being a software engineer he spent 10-12 hrs in front of desktop and at home it was either TV or his laptop. In a day he was either in front of some screen or was sleeping.

He got up and the moment his foot touched the ground he felt a hammer stroke in his left eye. He sat back on the bed. Pain wasn't new.Images from last night popped up in his head..Chatting, watching videos, reading blogs, more chatting..more videos and then 2:26 AM...the time he switched off his laptop."Today I will sleep at 12..no matter what" His right brain promised, on hearing which his left brain had a huge laugh. He smiled.

9:48 AM

All set to move out. He took cornflakes and poured some cold milk over it, as he was settling down in the bean-bag he switched on the TV. Left brain was up and working, " little MTV to make it a Kickass Morning" .

10:06 AM

After finishing the breakfast, he switched off all the lights and fans. Checked...re-checked the gas knob,taps, back door , windows ...he was never sure whether he closed them, even after few seconds of closing them. He came out and locked the main door. As he reached the outer gate, as always , he retraced his steps to recheck the door.He hated it, not even once had he forgotten to lock the door but he was just never sure.

He started walking towards the main road, it was some 100 m away from his place. Few steps ahead of his house was an office, some Placement agency. The office had glass door ,so everyday while passing by he used to have a quick glance inside. Three or four girls worked there. He always felt that some of those girls watched him passing by, as if they were waiting for him. Further down the road there was Blue Box , a house so blue that it made him hate blue, his favorite color. Today it appeared even more Blue.

As he was about to reach the main road, someone honked twice.

"Son of a..." he always hated unnecessary honking. As the car passed he saw an Auto coming his way. He signaled him to stop.

Auto driver inquisitively raised eyebrows. He lifted his right hand and pointed towards east but no words came out.

He looked left and right. He had no idea why he was standing there. He looked back, there was a lane. Something inside urged him to go in that direction. As he started walking, he checked his pockets. There was a key, a cellphone and handkerchief. He felt a wallet in his back pocket. He walked a little and stopped.

"This house looks familiar! "

"Is it my house?"

He was not sure. He did not wanted to go in. He did not liked the color. It was blue.

He moved ahead.

"Niharika HR Consultants"

A girl ,standing inside the glass door ,was smiling at him.

"Is she looking at me?"

"Do I work here? "

He wasn't sure of that either.A black gate down the road caught his eye.

He went inside.

"Do I live here?"

"Ground floor or First floor? "

He looked at the key and then rang the door bell of the ground floor.

It was not answered. He again looked at the key and then went for the lock.

"This is where I live"

The room was messy, a bed with two pillows, couple of chairs with some clothes on them. A TV, on top of which some old newspapers. He sat down on one of the chairs and took out the cellphone. Fingers ran through buttons to access the call list

"Nikhil" "Aanya" "Vishal" "Sandy" "Home"...

He looked around, there was a phone in the room.

While staring at the phone, he pressed Call button on "Home". "Home" was ringing but not in his room.

"Hello! " It was a lady.

He did not knew what to say, so he murmured

"Hello?"

"Hello...Manu??" She said

"Manu...what happened son? "

"Maa....?"

"Yes son, what happened?" He could sense the tension in the voice, as if she knew what happened.

Sunday, May 31, 2009

She is funny, she is cool ,she is many more adjectives with superlatives or you can say she is just fanatbulous.She is your dream girl. That's Bobo for you.

It has drama, it has melodrama , it has songs, it has item number or simply its very Indian. Amid all the confusion and in all its gaiety, that's the Wedding for you.

And our protagonist, Akkie . Well what about him? The entire book is about him. You got to read the book to know the man.

Many of the characters seems so real that it feels like you know them or have met them somewhere. Rest of the characters are also very believable and the way author presents them, you want to meet them, someone like Bobo.It makes me wish to find my Bobo :D.

To be honest ,I felt the book takes its time to pick up the pace, first few chapters keep going smooth like a neat scotch and after few rounds of scotch come the tequila shots, one after the other, leaving you craving for more.

The story can definitely be portrayed on big screen and it will make a good watch as its a great read.Pick it up any given Sunday with some cold coffee (I prefer cold) and it will make your day.

Monday, April 06, 2009

This morning I saw a little boy taking out his bicycle. He tried riding it but fell after a few pedals. There was no one behind him to help him out, yet he was not at all perturbed with that fall.He rose again, checked his bike then checked himself, his knee was a bit bruised. He looked at the bruise and proudly smiled. He rode the bike again and few more pedals this time he again fell.This time it was a bad fall but to my astonishment he got up, shrugged off the dirt , and a bit angrily kicked the stupid bike. He tried again and again and again...couple of more falls and he finally got the trick.He turned back, and started pedaling towards me. I could see him smiling from a distance, as he came closer he looked into my eyes as if saying "old man this one's for you" and then he left the handle... put his hands out like a bird and he fled away...

Tuesday, March 03, 2009

...it was his uncle, I explained everything to him and when he talked to the kid it felt like we have achieved something.Only a few words exchanged and the kid got emotional and so were all of us (somehow I held back my tears). I just hugged the kid..

Next day me and F went to meet the kid's family (his Mother and Uncle). We met the person in-charge for custody transfer, this really sweet lady, who told us about all the legal procedures to be followed to get the custody of the Kid (Its a very cumbersome process)

We heard the entire story about how the kid landed in this place, how he was taken from his home town (or he left??) by this hotel manager in whose hotel he worked for 2 months and then fled away one day to be caught by some NGO who bought him to this place. Also we came to know that this will be filed as a case of Child Labor and hence will take lot of time unless the accused is produced before the committee. Then we met the superintendent of the center, he was really frank about everything and did not minced his words. He told us about all the horrific things some children have to go through and how bad the world really is (even the parents and relatives).

Then came the difficult task, to convince the hotel manager to appear in front of the committee. F and me went to the hotel, but manager was not there. We took the number and called him, he asked us to wait. As we were waiting we decided upon what to say to him, what can be the best strategy to convince him.When he arrived, I was shocked, he was this innocent looking old man with a pleasant smile (I imagined him to be some tough guy with villainous looks). F did all the talking as he knew the local language (I so hated myself for not knowing it) and somehow he convinced the old man (Hats off to you man!!). Destiny??

Next morning I woke up early , probably first time on a Monday. I went to office early to put some hours before the hearing. At 10:30 I collected the verification documents which came in fax and went to the hearing. Hotel manager was true to his word, he came and was scolded and threatened (of Police case) by the committee judge. We met the judge and requested him for quick reunion between the family and the kid..and then we left with our fingers crossed.The kid called me when he boarded the bus home. I gave him some pep talk and he promised that he won't get into trouble anymore.

In two days everything changed for the kid and his family.

I wanted to see him one more time, but I guess it was his destiny and my part in it was over...

Monday, March 02, 2009

Destiny...do you believe in it?I do. I think it was his destiny and we were there to play our part in it.As I am writing these lines he is moving closer to the place and people he left (was forced to leave?? not sure) three months ago.

F called me "Hi Prakhar, Are you coming today?"

"Yeah sure"

"..but the regular kids won't be there, they went for that fest..it won't be of much good"

"hmmm...thats true..lets skip it today then"

"ok then...I will tell others"

I started my lunch and was making plans for the extra hours I will have...phone rang again, it was F

"Prakhar, R wants to go...she has nothing to do"

"lets go then"

"good...see you there"

It was going on pretty smooth, usual Saturday afternoon..we outnumbered the kids for the very first time.I went out to see what was going .on ..F and A told me about the address and the phone number they got from one of the kid. The phone number was of kid's school. We decided to write letter to kid's mother and call the school on Monday. It was to be written in hindi so I wrote it. As I completed it, I thought why not call right now and I did.Luckily someone at school picked up the phone and I told them everything about the kid. They told me they will contact kid's relatives.

Deep inside I felt (more kind of wished) that it will work. Few minutes later, my phone rang...

Thursday, February 26, 2009

Friday, February 20, 2009

Once you've been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you. At the end, choose 25 people to be tagged.

You have to link the person who tagged you. ******************************************************************25. I like the number 25 ..and both of us can say "I am 25"

24. I have to have the mint taste in my mouth when I go to bed...else I can't sleep easily :(...so most of the times I brush my teeth...and if I am too sleepy for that...I just have a little toothpaste..JLT :D

23. Oh 23!!..I was all freaked out on my 23rd B'day..I felt like .. I have grown so old..I guess it was because it seemed very far from 20..I am sure I will again freak out on 28th..do the math!

22. I want to visit Ireland someday...and Paris.. one more time!

21. I consider myself as a good dancer :D...I am a good wedding dancer ..I am a good chair dancer..no not the chair tricks and all..I can dance sitting in a chair..like I do in office these days!

20. Sonam Kapoor....she is beautiful :)

19. Just had my dinner..I love Jam !! :)

18. I hate travelling (specially the trip back from home)..I wish they invent some machine for teleporting...I am willing to pay!

17. When I was 10 or 11, I used to bully this one kid on my way back from bus stop...I am ashamed of it now.

16. So after I 'Backspaced' it at 21, its back..I have really teary eyes...(I am watching TZP..what to do..)

15. I write about this girl who I think have no idea about it. You inspire me...

14. I can't paint and I can't play any instrument..but I wish I could...

13. Once and only once I tried cheating using a note ..and was caught doing that. So the invigilator who caught me, came back after 2 minutes, gave the note back and said "you got 5 minutes boy".

12. My mom used to send me to get some grocery and many times I did ' hera pheri' in the prices to accomodate my chewing gum :D

11. I love sport movies : Remember the Titans, Miracle, Gridiron Gang, We Are Marshalls, Glory road...and many more (Kindly mention few more..)

10. One summer vacation we went to my uncle's place. One night us kids were sleeping on the floor and I had a bad dream about snake and I shouted "SAAAAAAAAAANP". Lights were turned on and would you believe it there was an actual snake..sitting near my head...freakish aint it! ..I really dread snakes (just checked my surroundings..there isn't any around)

9. There was a time when phone network was not this well spread, I used to write letters. Postcards used to cost some 15 paise and Inlands were 75 paise, but there was lots of space on those Inlands so I preferred cute little postcards. Mostly I wrote to my grandparents and they always replied :)...haven't seen them in last two years..will definitely visit them this summer.

8. I am not an avid reader but I read books on recommendation or the books which appeals to me in book store. Last one I read ..Anything for you Ma'am...sweet one!

7. I joined Karate classes when I was 9 or 10...by my 13th b'day I was no longer interested in kicking people around...also I admit cricket was more fun. So this one day I decided to protest but my dad "Persuaded" me for Karate classes. I took out my bi-cycle and started pedalling ...mid way I saw kids playing cricket and the rebel was reborn. At the very moment I devised a fool-proof plan..I took out the valve of the tyre and a flat tyre story to tell ...but the valve did not went back...I still took my chances and returned home , told my dad about the flat tyre. Somehow he was not convinced and went to inspect the bi-cycle ...and as he came back I heard someone on TV "Rishtey me to hum tumhare.... ......"

6. I used to be all grumpy on my sister's b'day, just because she got to cut the cake...

5. While on road my favorite timepass is observing number plates.

4. I want to see Sachin Tendulkar and Roger Fedrer play (not on tv silly :P).

3. I am really sleepy now....when I was little...I used to easily doze off in a chair and was famous for it :D

2. I am confused about what I want from life.

1. I want to be remembered in this world after I am gone.

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...and I tag first 25 comments (If you have not done it already). Dont be afraid...comment!